Guiding means for planing and digging implements

ABSTRACT

A guiding arrangement for a linearly moveable tool supporting carriage in a mining machine in which a frame has a guiding rail member for the carriage on one side made up in sections in end to end relation. The guiding rail member has projections thereon extending toward the carriage and spaced along the rail member and each has a pair of tubular passages for the reaches of a link chain which drives the carriage. Each passage is longer than the distance between the adjacent ends of a pair of like links in the respective chain length and slots give access to the passages with each slot widening at its opposite ends.

United States Patent Pal Frenyo; Karl-Heinz Hater, both of Bochum; Walter Pelka, Gelsenkirchen, all of Germany [72] Inventors [2i] Appl. No. 863,527 [22] Filed Oct. 3, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 14, 1971 Gebr. Elckhofl Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei mbl-l [73] Assignee Bochum, Germany [32] Priority Oct. 7, 1968 [33] Germany [311 P1801 612.1

[54] GUIDING MEANS FOR PLANING AND DIGGING [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,431,024 3/1969 Braun et al. 299/34 FOREIGN PATENTS 717,094 10/1954 Great Britain 299/34 Primary Examiner- Ernest R. Purser Attorney-Walter Becker ABSTRACT: A guiding arrangement for a linearly moveable tool supporting carriage in a mining machine in which a frame has a guiding rail member for the carriage on one side made up in sections in end to end relation. The guiding rail member has projections thereon extending toward the carriage and spaced along the rail member and each has a pair of tubular passages for the reaches of a link chain which drives the carriage. Each passage is longer than the distance between the adjacent ends of a pair of like links in the respective chain length and slots give access to the passages with each slot widening at its opposite ends.

PATENTEU DEC 1 4 l9?! SHEET 1 OF 2 INVEN TORS PAL FRENYO KARL-HEINZ HAFER WALTER PELKA FIG-2 INVENTORS PAL FRENYO KARL-HEINZ HAFER WALTER PELKA GUIDING MEANS FOR PLANING AND DlGGING IMPLEMENTS The present invention relates to guiding means which may be used for a planer when mining coal by peeling and also for a coal cutter. Such coal cutter moves behind a cutting cool, for instance, a roller cutting machine and while moving back and forth loosens the coal and conveys the same to a conveyor behind the guiding means while the guiding means move toward the coal face.

Guiding means for planers are known according to which the two chain sections of the endless round link chain which alternately pull the planer in opposite directions are guided in separate passages. At least one of the passages is slotted over the entire length. The planer is provided with an extension which extends through such slot into the pulling chain section located in said slot.

Furthermore, guiding means have become known for cutting implements which guiding means comprise a guiding rail which is connected to that supporting wall of the frameword which is adjacent the coal face. The pulling section and the slack section of the endless round link chain are located in tubular passages which are arranged one above or one adjacent the other. That portion of the round link chain which fonns the pulling section is located in the lower one of the the two passages. This lower passage is open toward the bottom. Between the bottom plate of the individual cutting members and the round link chain there is established through the said lower slot a connection which conveys the pulling force to the cutting member. An arrangement of this type is described, for instance, in US. Pat. Nos. 3,301,373 and 3,363,946.

Extremely high forces are required to move the planer back and forth in order to mine the coal by peeling and, therefore, the round link chains by means of which the planer is pulled have to absorb extremely high stresses. These stresses frequently cause the chain to tear and this occurs sometimes in intervals of hours or days. In order to maintain a continuous operation, it is, therefore, necessary that within a minimum of time the location be ascertained where the chain tore and to replace the damage chain link, for instance, by a chain lock whereupon the repaired chain again has to be assembled. The above-mentioned guiding means for the planer and the cutting implement in which the round link chains move in closed passages cause considerable difiiculties in this connection with regard to the ascertainment of the tear in the chain as well as the repair and reassembly of the chain.

It is an object of the present invention to provide guiding means for coal planing or coal cutting implements which by means of a round link chain can be pulled along the coal face in opposite directions while any tear in the chain can easily be ascertained.

It is another object of the present invention to provide guiding means for coal planing or coal cutting implements of such design that the withdrawal of a damaged chain link and the reinsertion of the repaired chain will be possible in a minimum of time.

Still another object of the invention consists in so to design the guiding means referred to above for a coal planing or coal cutting implement which implement is pulled by a round link chain when the guiding means is connected to that supporting wall of a conveyor which is adjacent the coal face, that no small coal pieces can collect below the frame of the conveyor.

It is a further object of the present invention so to design the guiding means on a conveyor that a climbing of the planer guided thereby will be possible.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a cross section through the guiding rail with that side of the conveyor which is adjacent the coal face and also shows the coal face and a planer guided in the rail.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a guiding rail which is not yet connected to the conveyor frame.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the conveyor frame and the guiding rail connected to the conveyor wall adjacent the coal face while short sections of the round link chain are likewise shown in this figure.

FIG. 4 shows in view an individual extension member of FIG. 2 in which, however, the tubular chain guiding means differ somewhat from those in FIG. 2.

According to the present invention the guiding means for a coal planing or coal cutting implement with an endless round link chain as pulling member comprise a rail resting on the floor of a seam. The said rail is toward the coal face provided with extension members in which tubular guiding passages are provided for the round link chain, the length of said passages being greater than the distance between two chain links of the same type. These tubular guiding means are in the longitudinal direction of the rail provided with a longitudinal slot which permits the installation and withdrawal of a round link chain when the latter is in relaxed condition. The longitudinal slots of the guiding means for the round link chain in the extension members should preferably have a width which corresponds at least to 1.5 times the nominal thickness of the chain link and which is widened to a limited extent at both ends by inclined surfaces. Such extension member may have only tubular guiding means for the pulling section of the chain or for the return section of the chain. However, the same extension members may be provided with tubular guiding means for both sections of the round link chain.

With guiding means of the above-described character, the round link chains are free over the major portion of their length. A tear in the chain will thus immediately be recognizable. The torn and therefore relaxed round link chain can immediately be removed through the longitudinal slots of the extension members. After the chain has been repaired, the reinsertion will cause no difficulties whatsoever.

By chain links of the same type are meant the vertical chain links on one hand and the horizontal chain links on the other hand. The length of the extension members, therefore, should be greater than the distance between two vertical chain links or the distances between two horizontal chain links. In this way the chains will safely be prevented from accidentally leaving the tubular guiding means formed by the extension members when the chain is in relaxed condition.

In order to make sure that the relaxed chain will not accidentally pass through the longitudinal slots, the longitudinal slots of those tubular guiding means in which the return section of the round link chain moves may be inclined with regard to the direction of the course of the chain.

When the new raillike guiding means is connected to the supporting wall of the frame of a conveyor adjacent the coal face, the said guiding means engages the supporting wall from below so that the conveyor will be lifted somewhat. The front wall of the rail will relatively steeply drop toward the floor of the seam. The lower marginal area of the rail which is located toward the coal face is parallel to the floor of the seam. As a result thereof, between the lower edge and the floor of the seam there is created a guiding passage which is engaged by a bottom plate of the planing or cutting implement which bottom plate slides upon the floor of the seam.

The shaping of the guiding rail forming the subject matter of the invention is in many instances so simple that it is possible to produce the entire rail including the tubular extensions of one piece, for instance, a cast piece. It is a matter of course that the tubular extensions may also be screwed onto the rail.

While it is primarily intended to connect the guiding rail in the form of individual sections so that supporting wall of the frame of a conveyor which is adjacent the coal face, there are, of course, also other possibilities of employment possible according to which the rail is connected to the wall in a difierent way. Thus, the rail may, for instance, be braced with the mine timbering, for instance, with the mine props which are employed for supporting the roof of the seam.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that the frame 1 of the conveyor means (FIG. 3) comprises a supporting wall 20 adjacent the coal face and a supporting wall 21 which are connected to each other by a running plate 22. On said plate 22 there move scrapers which, as a rule, are guided by chains on both sides. Below plate 22 the scrapers return. The supporting walls of the frame of the conveyor means are composed of profiles. The vertical wall 23 extends inwardly with an intermediate triangular part 24 on which plate 22 is supported. The supporting wall which consists of a rolled profile has an upper leg 25 and a lower leg 26.

The coal face is designated with the reference numeral 2. For mining the coal by peeling, there is provided a planer 9 which by means of individual knives 32 peels ofi the coal. In this connection it may be mentioned that the planer 9 is provided with a bottom plate 8 which extends in a manner described further below below the guiding rail, while an upper extension 11 which rests on the leg 25 extends over the guiding rail. The planer is furthermore equipped with an extension member 16 which extends through a slot 15 while establishing a connection between the planer and the pulling section of the round link chain 12.

The guiding rail generally designated with the reference numeral 3 has a lower vertical wall portion 4 the lower end of which is provided with a rail extending below the lower leg 26 of the supporting wall of the frame of the conveyor which supporting wall is adjacent the coal face. The upper part of the vertical wall of the guiding rail extends far beyond the leg 25 of the supporting wall of the conveyor frame. Toward the coal face there is located a rather steeply dropping wall 6 which ends in an arc-shaped part 7 and together with the wall portion 4 forms a triangular guiding passage 17 engaged by the bottom plate 8 of the planer 9.

In order to save material and weight, the walls of the guiding rail are provided with circular openings 27 and longitudinal slots 28. The abutting end portions of the rails are provided with openings 29 which serve in particular for passing supporting elements therethrough.

The connection of the guiding rail to that supporting wall of the frame which is located adjacent the coal face is effected by means of pockets provided in the cavities of the conveyor supporting wall and, more specifically, in the interior of the openings which have a triangular cross section and are formed by the wall portion 24. In view of the plates inserted into the openings, pockets are fonned, and these pockets comprise protrusions 30 which are arranged at the inner side of the guiding rail. Therebetween are provided bores 31 the outer portion of which has a greater cross section while the inner portion has a smaller cross section. These bores 31 serve for the passing therethrough of screws the screwheads of which are located in the supporting wall, and are tightened by means of nuts located inside the further portion of the bores 31. The above-mentioned type of connecting the guiding rail to the supporting wall of the frame of the conveyor is known per se and, therefore, does not form a part of the present invention.

The primary feature of the new guiding rail consists in the extension members 13 which at greater distances and adjacent the rail joint are connected to the guiding rail as is shown in particular in FIG. 3. These extension members 13 form an upper and lower short guiding passage 14 through which the round link chains are passed. The lower portion of the round link chain 12 forms the pulling section and the upper chain portion 12 forms the return section of the chain.

The extension members I3 may be provided in the vicinity of the rail joint ends of the guiding rail. However, it is also possible to arrange the extension members 13 at another convenient place, for instance, more in the center of the guiding rail.

Another important feature of the new invention is seen in the slots I5 provided in the guiding passages 14. These slots I5 have a width of at least l.l times the rated thickness of the chain link. This width is not sufficient to remove a relaxed round link chain from the guiding passage 14 or to insert such chain into the passage. The slot of the lower passage 14 is intended, as mentioned above, to establish a connection between the planer 9 and the pulling section of the round link chain.

In order to facilitate the moving of the chains into the tubular passages 14, the ends of the slots 15 have a funnel-shaped extension limited by inclined surfaces as shown in FIG. 2.

In order safely to prevent the return section of the round link chain from skipping out of the slots 15, the upper tubular guiding passages 14 become slightly narrower toward the middle from the ends as shown in FIG. 4 and slots 15 may be inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the chain as shown in FIG. 4. The return section of the chain moves in the upper passage while sometimes it hangs in a slack condition.

It may be emphasized that the upper wall portion 10 and the lower part 7 of the guiding rail are continuous over the entire length thereof and so is the strip 5 which extends below the leg 26 of the conveyor supporting wall. The planer 9 is thus on one hand guided by the extension member 11 which extends over the wall 10 and on the other hand by the bottom plate 8 which engages the slot 17. In this way, the planer is forced to remain on the floor of the seam and to peel off the coal working 2 up to the bottom thereof.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for mining and like operations having tool means adapted for movement linearly along the region of a formation to be worked and comprising: a stationary frame having one side facing the region to be worked, said tool means being movable along said one side of said frame, readily accessible lengths of link chain extending along said one side of said frame for actuating said tool means, isolated extension members on said frame projecting in longitudinally spaced relation from said one side thereof toward said tool means, each said extension member having a pair of longitudinal tubular passages therethrough for the passage of a said length of chain, each extension member and the passages therein being longer that the longitudinal distance between two chain links of the same type in the respective length of chain, and a longitudinal slot in each extension member communicating with each said passage for permitting the introduction into and withdrawal quickly therefrom of the respective length of chain.

2. a machine according to claim 1, in which each slot in width equals about 1.1 times the width of an adjoining quickly replaceable chain link while both ends of each slot taper outwardly.

3. A machine according to claim 2, in which one of said passages is provided for a readily accessible working chain length and the other thereof for a readily accessible return chain length, at least said other passage being slightly narrowed toward the middle from opposite ends and the slot being inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the respective chain length.

4. A machine according to claim 3, in which each extension member is cast structurally integral with a rail section, each rail section being engageable with said one side of said frame, said rail sections being mounted on said one side of said frame in end-to-end relation to form a continuous guiding rail member adapted for guiding said tool means.

5. A machine according to claim 4, which includes a carriage supporting said tool means, said carriage slidably engaging said guiding rail member, said guiding rail member extending above and below said one side of said frame, the wall of said guiding rail facing said carriage and away from said frame being secured in a location inclining outwardly from said frame in the downward direction.

6. A machine according to claim 5, which includes an extension on the lower end of the said wall of said guiding rail member projecting toward said carriage and the region being worked and spaced upwardly from the lowermost edge of said guiding rail member so that when the lowermost edge of said guiding rail member rests on a surface a space is provided above the surface and beneath said extension, said carriage having a bottom plate portion slidably resting on said surface and extending into said space.

7. A machine according to claim 6, in which said carriage includes first means on the edge of said bottom plate portion nearest said guiding rail member extending upwardly behind the lower end of said wall of said guiding rail member, and second means on said carriage dependent behind the guiding rail member at the top to limit movement of said carriage relative to said guiding rail member in a direction away from said guiding rail member.

8. A machine according to claim 7, in which said carriage is relieved to provide clearance through which said extension members will pass as the carriage moves along said guiding rail member, said carriage including means projecting therefrom and connected to one of said lengths of link chain and including neck means in the plane of the slots for the one of the said passages in said extension member in which said one length of link chain is movable, said neck means having a dimension transverse to the said slots less than the width of said slots so as to be movable therethrough as the carriage moves along said guiding rail member.

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1. A machine for mining and like operations having tool means adapted for movement linearly along the region of a formation to be worked and comprising: a stationary frame having one side facing the region to be worked, said tool means being movable along said one side of said frame, readily accessible lengths of link chain extending along said one side of said frame for actuating said tool means, isolated extension members on said frame projecting in longitudinally spaced relation from said one side thereof toward said tool means, each said extension member having a pair of longitudinal tubular passages therethrough for the passage of a said length of cHain, each extension member and the passages therein being longer that the longitudinal distance between two chain links of the same type in the respective length of chain, and a longitudinal slot in each extension member communicating with each said passage for permitting the introduction into and withdrawal quickly therefrom of the respective length of chain.
 2. a machine according to claim 1, in which each slot in width equals about 1.1 times the width of an adjoining quickly replaceable chain link while both ends of each slot taper outwardly.
 3. A machine according to claim 2, in which one of said passages is provided for a readily accessible working chain length and the other thereof for a readily accessible return chain length, at least said other passage being slightly narrowed toward the middle from opposite ends and the slot being inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the respective chain length.
 4. A machine according to claim 3, in which each extension member is cast structurally integral with a rail section, each rail section being engageable with said one side of said frame, said rail sections being mounted on said one side of said frame in end-to-end relation to form a continuous guiding rail member adapted for guiding said tool means.
 5. A machine according to claim 4, which includes a carriage supporting said tool means, said carriage slidably engaging said guiding rail member, said guiding rail member extending above and below said one side of said frame, the wall of said guiding rail facing said carriage and away from said frame being secured in a location inclining outwardly from said frame in the downward direction.
 6. A machine according to claim 5, which includes an extension on the lower end of the said wall of said guiding rail member projecting toward said carriage and the region being worked and spaced upwardly from the lowermost edge of said guiding rail member so that when the lowermost edge of said guiding rail member rests on a surface a space is provided above the surface and beneath said extension, said carriage having a bottom plate portion slidably resting on said surface and extending into said space.
 7. A machine according to claim 6, in which said carriage includes first means on the edge of said bottom plate portion nearest said guiding rail member extending upwardly behind the lower end of said wall of said guiding rail member, and second means on said carriage dependent behind the guiding rail member at the top to limit movement of said carriage relative to said guiding rail member in a direction away from said guiding rail member.
 8. A machine according to claim 7, in which said carriage is relieved to provide clearance through which said extension members will pass as the carriage moves along said guiding rail member, said carriage including means projecting therefrom and connected to one of said lengths of link chain and including neck means in the plane of the slots for the one of the said passages in said extension member in which said one length of link chain is movable, said neck means having a dimension transverse to the said slots less than the width of said slots so as to be movable therethrough as the carriage moves along said guiding rail member. 